LEGO Creations for All Ages
Paul M.L. Janssen
Lakeside Association, July 22 2011
Overview
Part 1: History of the LEGO company
Part 2: The adult LEGO fan Part 3: Art and Science of LEGO Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Part 5: LEGO Ohio Stadium
Part 1: History of the Founded in Billund, 1916 (not named Lego till 1934)
by Ole Kirk Christiansen
Main Product Line: 1916-1932: Furniture 1932-1960: Wooden Toys 1949-1958: Plastic Pre-bricks 1958-current: System Bricks
Denmark
Company
Part 1: History 1916 Ole Kirk Christiansen purchased an existing woodworking shop that had been in business since 1895. He primarily focused on houses and furniture. In order to aid in designing full-sized product, he constructed miniature sized items such as step-ladders and ironing boards. These miniature creations prompted him to start manufacturing wooden toys.
Pull-along LEGO train, 1935 Pull-along LEGO duck, 1935
Part 1: History 1924 His young sons burned down his shop. He rebuilt his shop, now larger, and expanded his business. The great depression hit, and it is said government persuasion made him move primarily into toy production as a full-time focus.
1932 Ole Kirk Christiansen, master carpenter and joiner, establishes his business in the village of Billund, Denmark. His firm manufactures stepladders, ironing boards, stools and wooden toys. His son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, starts working in the business at the age of 12.
Part 1: History 1934 The company and its products now adopt the name LEGO, formed from the Danish words "LEg GOdt" ("play well"). Later, it is realized that in Latin the word means "I put together”. The firm has 6-7 employees. Ole Kirk places the following motto on the workshop wall: "Only the best is good enough".
Early versions of the LEGO logo
Part 1: History 1942 The LEGO factory burns to the ground (again), however, the production of wooden toys is quickly resumed.
1947 The LEGO Group is the first in Denmark to buy a plastic injection-moulding machine for toy production. The machine costs 30,000 Danish Crowns. By comparison, the revenue of the firm this year is 450,000 Danish Crowns.
1949 The LEGO Automatic Binding Brick with four and eight studs.
Part 1: History 1955 After further developing the LEGO Bricks, the company launches the revolutionary "LEGO System of Play". The first real export of LEGO begins. First country is Sweden. Godfred Kirk Christiansen demonstrates the new product at a toy fair in Nuremberg, Germany. Reactions are not positive…... 1958 The current “system” brick is finalized, and is virtually the same as we have today.
1960 The wooden toy warehouse is destroyed by fire. Production of wooden toys is discontinued entirely. App. 450 employees in Billund. LEGO Finland and LEGO Nederland established.
Part 1: History 1961 The LEGO Group invents the wheel! It is marketed in the following year. The range comprises 50 sets, 15 vehicles and various loose elements. Sales start in the US and Canada via a license agreement with Samsonite Corp. LEGO Italy established. 1965 LEGO produces its first train set.
1968 LEGOLAND® Billund opens its gates on 7th June and attracts 625,000 visitors in its first season, 3000 on the opening day. The first computer in LEGO Group - an NCR 390 for pay administration. The machine cost 85,000 Danish Crowns.
Part 1: History
Part 1: History
Part 1: History 1978 LEGOLAND mini figures with movable arms and legs.
Pre1978
1979 The founder’s Grandson, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen takes over as CEO 1984 The first LEGO Technic Computer controlled products are released
1990 The LEGO Group is now one of the world's 10 largest toy manufacturers - the only one in Europe (the others are American and Japanese). The magic barrier - one million visitors in a single year - is broken for the first time at LEGOLAND Billund on 4th September.
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan Although the LEGO group heavily markets their product as a kids toy, they increasingly recognize that there is a rapidly growing market to sell to adults, both as collectors and users of their products. Since the mid 1990’s, an explosion of Adult activity can be Found regarding LEGO.
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan Adults have been playing with LEGO bricks since they were invented. LEGO employees have build large creations for the company For several decades. Adult creations were mainly build for the parks and stores, and occasionally for paying clients
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan
Legoland Billund, Mount Rushmore
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan
Legoland Billund, Kennedy Space Center
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan
Legoland Billund, various park creations
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan AFOL (Adult Fan Of Lego) There are many types of involvement with Lego by adults: •Bonding/playing with (own) kids •Collectors •Builders •Social Involvement •Teaching •Lego Robotics •Artists Wide-spread use and speed of the internet played a major role in the evolvement of the AFOL community
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan 1992: First “major” grouping RTL (rec.toys.lego) 1998: LUGNET (www.lugnet.com)
Major Community hub, discussion posts, set-database, group-boards
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan 1998: BrickShelf (www.brickshelf.com)
Online Posting of Pictures of MOC’s (My Own Creation)
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan
2000: BrickLink (www.bricklink.com) Online selling of individual bricks and sets
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan 1998: Peeron (www.peeron.com)
Online database of individual bricks and sets
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan
Initially 15 adult fans acting as Ambassador: * Promote LEGO within the community * Promote the AFOLs inside the LEGO company Providing feedback, suggestions for sets, help in designing, attending meetings
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan
In collaborations with the LEGO Group, several FANs have turned the hobby into an actual job, making various creations for paying clients.
Heartfelt, by Nathan Sawaya, Feb 2009
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan
1995: 2000: 2005: 2011:
Adult Lego User Clubs LUG: Lego Users Group LTC: Lego Train Club 2 clubs in the USA 7 clubs in the USA 38 clubs in the USA 60+ clubs in the USA
Local:
www.coltc.org
Founded in 2003: Central Ohio Lego Train Club Members: 2003: 7 2004: 12 2005: 15 2008: 22 2011: 36
Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan Annual AFOL conventions BrickFest, BrickWorld
Initially ~30 participants, Now over 500 attendees, and 10K+ public visitors
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Many ways to approach a building project, three main aspects are important, often not compatible:
Artistic
Scientific
Economic
•Shape •Color •Emotion •Interpretation
•Scale •Size •Construction •Function
•Cost •Space •Storage •Availability
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
Single Element Slopes/Bricks
Bricks
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
Plates
Building techniques
Plates 3D
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
Bricks
Plates
Applications
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Characteristics If you “nail” the critical element, the rest is much less important Examples: Elephant Cow Statue of Liberty People
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
Scale, Size, Emotion, Interpretation, Cost, Construction
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
Scale, Cost
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
Exact Scaling Requires research, math, and measuring Requires finding the hardest-to-do part first Examples: Skyscraper House Car Person
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
Huntington Bank Building, Columbus, OH
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Borden, LeVeque, Huntington, Verne-Riffe
Surroundings to scale
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Scaling Requires environment and surroundings Purpose Economical factors
Same Examples: Skyscraper House Car Person
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
6-wide
2-wide
Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV)
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
Emotion
Nathan Sawaya, “Yellow”
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
Interpretation (construction or destruction?)
Nathan Sawaya, “Blue”
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
Stephen Colbert, by Nathan Sawaya
Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO
Scaling: Microscale
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Creations by LEGO fans, young and old
•Computer or Bricks •Built by 1 person or by a group •Artistic or Functional •Small or Big
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Hiawatha Steam Engine, Benn Coifman
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Hiawatha Steam Engine, Benn Coifman
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Hiawatha Steam Engine, Benn Coifman
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Statehouse, Columbus Ohio, Paul Janssen
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
“Miracle on the Hudson”, Ken Osbon
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Millyard Project, NELUG
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
USS Harry Truman, Malle Hawking
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Working Pinball Machine, Gerrit Bronsveld & Martijn Boogaarts
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Tressel Bridge, Jeramy Spurgeon
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Angel Sculpture (replica), David Winkler
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Steam Locomotive, Cale Leiphart
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Yankee Stadium, Sean Kenney
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Abston Church, Amy Hughes
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Medieval Townhall, Paul Janssen
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Castle, Steve DeCreamer
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Mona Lisa
Song of the Angels
Mosaics, Eric Harshbarger
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Victorian Mansion, Mike Doyle
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
“Jamocklaquat”, Eric Sophie
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Beauty and the Beast, Vincent Cheung
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Han Solo “Carbonite”, Nathan Sawaya
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Church, Paul Janssen
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Swans, Billy Lynch
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
St. Louis Gateway Arch, Paul Janssen
Part 4: Creations by and for all ages
Happy Meal, Janey Gunning
Part 5: Ohio Stadium
Initial plans developed in 2004 Collecting and saving bricks since 2004 Base built first, 2007-2009 Prototype of fielt build in 2008 First stadium brick in place, May 2009 Last stadium brick in place, Jan 2010 Total elements, when filled just over 1 million Seating capacity of nearly 6,000 minifigs Build in 10 sections, each up to 50 lbs.
Part 5: Ohio Stadium July 2009
August 2009
Part 5: Ohio Stadium
July 2010
November 2009
Part 5: Ohio Stadium August 2010
September 2010
Part 5: Ohio Stadium
January 8, 2010
Part 5: Ohio Stadium Press-box
South Stands and Scoreboard
Part 5: Ohio Stadium West Side
SpeakerCluster
Rotunda North Flag
Scoreboard showing “Script Ohio”
East Side curvature
Part 5: Ohio Stadium
January 15, Columbus Dispatch Article